Meir Shahar

An excellent anthology, edited by two notable experts in the field, of articles pertaining to 'Chinese gods', which is inclusive of Daoist, Buddhist, state and popular gods, gods which the introduction notes are "by no means distinct" (p. 3). If you are well read on Chinese religion and curious how all the various categories and hierarchies of gods in China fit together, this is a 'must' read. Individual chapters address individual popular gods that defy the Confucian elite in their popularity (Mazu who is not only female but unfilial in refusing to marry, Lu Dongbin who is a philandering drunk 'immortal'), seem to possess more status than their official bureaucratic position would avow (the Stove God), and martial arts gods (Guangong) more popular than scholars. Other deities focused on include some Daoist hierarchies, Tian Wangmu, Guanyin, Nezha, and the Lady Linshui. Other contributions discuss gods which represent family tensions, or how female gods have become popular in a patriarchal society, etc. Many references to vernacular Chinese fiction and folklore are included to demonstrate various hypotheses and observations, which is another strong point of this slim but rich volume.

Each chapter includes excellent notes, which should be read together with the text, plus an extensive bibliography at the end that enables further research. A glossary at the back of the volume provides the Chinese characters--a detail often neglected but much appreciated. The Index is also well done and includes conceptual topics as well as names and locales.

Perhaps not for the lay or casual reader, but that was not its intention. It was written by scholars, for scholars, academics and those with a serious interest in Chinese popular religion. All in all, an excellent little volume (well, perhaps at nearly 300 pages not so little) that I will assuredly be returning to often.… (lisätietoja)